The Chicago Theatre
Performing Arts in Chicago, IL · 175 North State Street · 60601
At a glance
The Chicago Theatre is a 700,000-square-foot performing arts building at 175 North State Street in Chicago, Illinois, built in 1921. In its 2023 Chicago benchmarking disclosure it reported a site energy-use intensity of 7.7 kBtu/ft² and 515 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions.
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance · reporting year 2023
Benchmarking record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| ENERGY STAR score | — |
| Site EUI | 7.7 kBtu/ft² |
| Source EUI | 14.7 kBtu/ft² |
| GHG emissions | 515 tCO₂e |
| GHG intensity | 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft² |
| Electricity | 778,049 kWh |
| Natural gas | 27,074 therms |
| Gross floor area | 700,000 sq ft |
| Source record | chicago:173598:2023 |
The disclosure history
Year over year
| Year | Score | Δ | Site EUI | GHG emissions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023latest | — | 7.7 kBtu/ft² | 515 tCO₂e | |
| 2022 | — | 8.7 kBtu/ft² | 538 tCO₂e | |
| 2021 | — | 34.0 kBtu/ft² | 434 tCO₂e | |
| 2020 | — | 25.7 kBtu/ft² | 372 tCO₂e | |
| 2019 | — | 46.1 kBtu/ft² | — | |
| 2018 | — | 44.0 kBtu/ft² | 631 tCO₂e | |
| 2017 | — | 39.9 kBtu/ft² | 623 tCO₂e | |
| 2016 | — | 37.6 kBtu/ft² | 642 tCO₂e | |
| 2015 | — | 49.9 kBtu/ft² | — |
Compliance context
Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
Ownership
No owning organisation shown. Names of private individuals in the disclosure are not published here.
Own or manage this building? Claim it to correct the record and get compliance alerts.
Location
- Address
- 175 North State Street
- City
- Chicago
- State
- Illinois
- ZIP
- 60601
- Coordinates
- 41.88172, -87.63716
Within ~1 km
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See also: most efficient in Chicago · biggest emitters
How does The Chicago Theatre compare with other performing arts buildings in Chicago?
The latest disclosures cover 10 performing arts buildings in Chicago, out of 3,852 buildings citywide. Its site EUI of 7.7 kBtu/ft² is about 92% below the average of 91.5 kBtu/ft² — it uses less energy per square foot than the typical building in that group. Its emissions intensity of 0.7 kgCO₂e/ft² is about 91% below the group average of 8.1 kgCO₂e/ft².
At 700,000 sq ft, it is about 229% above the average floor area of 212,546 sq ft for those buildings. It was built in 1921, 65 years earlier than the group's average year built (1987).
How has The Chicago Theatre's energy performance changed over time?
BuildingCensus holds 9 Chicago disclosures for The Chicago Theatre, covering report years 2015–2023. Site EUI moved from 49.9 kBtu/ft² (2015) to 7.7 kBtu/ft² (2023), a 85% decrease. Reported emissions went from 642 tCO₂e to 515 tCO₂e over the same span (down 20%).
What does a site EUI of 7.7 kBtu/ft² mean?
Site energy-use intensity (EUI) is the energy a building uses on site in a year divided by its floor area, in thousand Btu per square foot — lower is more efficient. The Chicago Theatre's 7.7 kBtu/ft² across 700,000 sq ft works out to about 5.4 billion Btu (1,580 MWh-equivalent) in 2023. Its source EUI of 14.7 kBtu/ft² also counts the energy lost generating and delivering that power, which is why it is higher. The disclosure also reports 778,049 kWh of electricity and 27,074 therms of natural gas for the year.
Which law requires The Chicago Theatre to report its energy use?
The Chicago Theatre reports under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance, the legal basis of the Chicago Energy Benchmarking program, which publishes each covered building's annual benchmarking results. The record shown here is the report-year 2023 disclosure (source record chicago:173598:2023). Covered buildings that fail to benchmark and report face fines of up to $100 plus $25 per day of violation under the ordinance.
More performing arts buildings in Chicago
- Symphony Center· 294,211 sq ft · EUI 136.3 kBtu/ft²
- Logan Arts Center· 188,821 sq ft · EUI 78.6 kBtu/ft²
- Holtschneider Performance Center· 185,000 sq ft · EUI 112.4 kBtu/ft²
- Harris Theater for Music and Dance· 141,322 sq ft · EUI 41.6 kBtu/ft²
- 24 W. Randolph· 83,411 sq ft · EUI 144.2 kBtu/ft²
- House of Blues Chicago· 54,600 sq ft · EUI 142.4 kBtu/ft²
- All Chicago benchmarked buildings· Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance
- Most efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Least efficient large buildings in Chicago
- Biggest emitters in Chicago
Frequently asked questions
What is The Chicago Theatre's energy grade?
The Chicago Theatre did not report an ENERGY STAR score in its 2023 disclosure, but its site energy-use intensity was 7.7 kBtu/ft².
How much energy does The Chicago Theatre use?
Its 2023 site energy-use intensity was 7.7 kBtu/ft² (14.7 kBtu/ft² source) across 700,000 sq ft, including 778,049 kWh of electricity and 27,074 therms of natural gas.
What are The Chicago Theatre's carbon emissions?
The Chicago Theatre reported 515 tCO₂e of greenhouse-gas emissions (0.7 kgCO₂e/ft²) for 2023.
Where is The Chicago Theatre?
The Chicago Theatre is at 175 North State Street, in Chicago, Illinois 60601. Its coordinates are 41.88172, -87.63716 (latitude, longitude), as published in the Chicago Energy Benchmarking file.
How big is The Chicago Theatre and when was it built?
The Chicago Theatre has 700,000 sq ft of gross floor area, as reported in its 2023 disclosure. The disclosure lists 1921 as its year built. It is classed as performing arts.
Is The Chicago Theatre covered by the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance?
Yes — it appears in the 2023 Chicago Energy Benchmarking disclosure, which lists the buildings reporting under the Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance.
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About this data
Source: Chicago Energy Benchmarking (Building Energy Use Benchmarking Ordinance), as published October 2, 2026. See the methodology for how records are matched, cleaned and scored.
Cite as: BuildingCensus, “The Chicago Theatre, Chicago, Illinois — 2023 benchmarking disclosure”, https://buildingcensus.com/buildings/chicago/the-chicago-theatre-0890869b (data as of October 2, 2026).